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Solar Trees: Art and Energy Solutions

Solar trees are sculptural structures that feature photovoltaic panels and are intended to promote awareness of renewable energy while complementing landscapes. While not primary energy sources, solar trees symbolize investments in rooftop solar and sustainability. Unique designs began appearing in 1998, and now manufacturers offer repeatable solar tree products. The Solar Tree Foundation creates programs for students to learn about the process of constructing solar trees to educate the public on environmental and technological topics. Their latest tree for an elementary school weighs 10,000 lbs and produces 20,000 watts of energy per day at peak efficiency.

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17 views1 page

Solar Trees: Art and Energy Solutions

Solar trees are sculptural structures that feature photovoltaic panels and are intended to promote awareness of renewable energy while complementing landscapes. While not primary energy sources, solar trees symbolize investments in rooftop solar and sustainability. Unique designs began appearing in 1998, and now manufacturers offer repeatable solar tree products. The Solar Tree Foundation creates programs for students to learn about the process of constructing solar trees to educate the public on environmental and technological topics. Their latest tree for an elementary school weighs 10,000 lbs and produces 20,000 watts of energy per day at peak efficiency.

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nsjn
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© All Rights Reserved
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SOLAR TREE

Solar trees are intended to bring visibility to solar technology and to enhance the landscape and
architecture they complement, usually in a commercial or public context. An objective of many
solar tree installations is to promote awareness, understanding, and adoption of renewable
energy. They are not typically used as a primary source of energy for a property—that role is
accomplished by rooftop solar systems. Solar trees are complementary to rooftop solar systems,
or other green building measures, symbolizing these larger investments and their environmental
benefit.
Unique sculptural creations for a single sites began to appear in 1998 (e.g., the 7 kW tree in
Gleisdorf, Austria) or earlier. A number of variants of solar trees have been conceived, not all of
them realized in installations. Locations have included roadways, public areas in cities, schools
and universities, office buildings, science museums, and more. Recently, designers and
manufacturers have introduced solar trees as products, designed to deliver the benefits of solar
trees in a repeatable way to more places. Examples include Ross Lovegrove's solar tree which
incorporated seating, lighting, and circular groupings of photovoltaic cells, Envision Solar solar
parking canopy specifically trademarked Solar Tree, and Spotlight Solar's line of architectural
structures and most recently CSIR’s Solar Power Tree from India.
Rein Triefeldt is a solar environmentalist artist that has also begun to construct solar trees. He is
one of the founders and the current president of the Solar Tree Foundation which began in 2008.
The Solar Tree Foundation designs programs for elementary school students to show them the
creative process for constructing a Solar Tree in order to educate a broad audience on the
environmental and technological material. It’s also designed with the intention of instilling an
appreciation for artistic aesthetics interpreted through sculptures as a medium of expression.
This is performed by online lectures and webcams in which the students can engage with the
architects and see the construction process in real time. Triefeldt believes that his Solar Trees
will help preserve natural trees in the long run.
The latest solar tree constructed by the Solar Tree Foundation was erected for North
Hillsborough Elementary School in Hillsborough California. At peak efficiency, the 10,000 lb Solar
Tree is claimed to produce 20,000 watts of energy per day.

References
1. CSIR-CMERI, Durgapur: Solar Artifact Solar Power Tree Artifact
2. Clean Technica Feb 21, 2013 Clean Technica
3. Solar Tree Foundation accessed: Feb 20, 2013 Solar Tree Foundation site

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